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User profile for user: bart125
bart125 Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

ENABLE EDITING for .doc in PAGES for Mac

I recently received a .zip file from my lawyer.

I unzipped it after entering a password.

I retrieved a .doc file

BUT, When I opened it in PAGES Version 8.1 I got a screen that said:


"This document created in previous version of Microsoft Office Word.

"To view or edit this document, please click "Enable editing" button on the top bar, and click "Enable content".


1) I searched the community and I could not find anything about this

2) I couldn't find this option anywhere in the top menu bar of Pages

3) I also "got Info" for the document and I am authorized to view and edit the doc.

(and .doc is not locked, but nothing in the various topics in get info could help.

4) I also went into PAGES preferences, but I couldn't find anything there.


Can anyone find this feature and help me in opening this document??


Note: I am using a 2011 27" IMAC with MACOS High Sierra 10.13.6

(hardware does not allow me to upgrade to later OS...

some day I'll buy another IMAC, but this one is fine for all my activities)


Respectfully,

Mark

Posted on Oct 12, 2021 12:24 PM

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User profile for user: ruggiero
ruggiero
User level: Level 1
140 points

Posted on Oct 13, 2021 3:48 AM

STOP!!!!

I am pretty sure this document contains a virus. DO NOT PROCEED! At least not yet! Read the following explanation first!


First question: is this mail really coming from your lawyer or is it just pretending to? What does the sender really say? Is this the lawyer's address or is it just his/her name?


Often malicious software is distributed as a MSWord macro inside a Microsoft Word document. The document is "hidden" from virus scanners by zipping it. Today MSWord does not automatically run an embedded macro. To trick the user to activate the macro the document itself tells the user to click here and there and "enable editing" and some such. This text is part of the document contents, not produced by Pages or MSWord or LibreOffice Writer. That is the reason you see the reference to buttons in the toolbar that do not exist in Pages.


Ring up your lawyer and ask for confirmation that this is a legitimate mail coming from them and that the zipped document is genuine and clean.


Ask yourself why would a lawyer send you a macro enabled document at all?


Better safe than sorry!


Have a good day and stay clean

---markus---

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User profile for user: ruggiero
ruggiero
User level: Level 1
140 points

Oct 13, 2021 3:48 AM in response to bart125

STOP!!!!

I am pretty sure this document contains a virus. DO NOT PROCEED! At least not yet! Read the following explanation first!


First question: is this mail really coming from your lawyer or is it just pretending to? What does the sender really say? Is this the lawyer's address or is it just his/her name?


Often malicious software is distributed as a MSWord macro inside a Microsoft Word document. The document is "hidden" from virus scanners by zipping it. Today MSWord does not automatically run an embedded macro. To trick the user to activate the macro the document itself tells the user to click here and there and "enable editing" and some such. This text is part of the document contents, not produced by Pages or MSWord or LibreOffice Writer. That is the reason you see the reference to buttons in the toolbar that do not exist in Pages.


Ring up your lawyer and ask for confirmation that this is a legitimate mail coming from them and that the zipped document is genuine and clean.


Ask yourself why would a lawyer send you a macro enabled document at all?


Better safe than sorry!


Have a good day and stay clean

---markus---

Reply
User profile for user: VikingOSX
VikingOSX
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
116,831 points

Oct 12, 2021 12:59 PM in response to bart125

Pages v5 - v11.2 offers no Word (.doc/.docx) editing feature. Pages translates any opened Word document to its internal .pages document format, leaving the original Word document unaltered. There may be something else in that document from your lawyer that is incompatible with Pages (such as export from WordPerfect to Word .doc — just guessing).


I recommend that you download and install the free LibreOffice Suite (current v7.2.1) to your /Applications folder. Since LibreOffice Writer can open WordPerfect and Word .doc documents from ages ago, it would be interesting to see if it opens your document without any of that edit notification. With LibreOffice Writer, you can open, edit, and resave that Word .doc in its native format.

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User profile for user: VikingOSX
VikingOSX
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
116,831 points

Oct 12, 2021 2:30 PM in response to bart125

I have been accessing Word documents for decades in corporate environments with both Word, LibreOffice, and LibreOffice's distant relative StarOffice, and never encountered a document with this message or issue. I suspect that the lawyer who password protected the zip file also protected this .doc file in some peculiar way. Contact the lawyer, explain your situation, and request another version of this document.

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User profile for user: bart125
bart125 Author
User level: Level 1
23 points

Oct 13, 2021 12:44 PM in response to ruggiero

All,

VikingOSX: thanx for the LibreOffice idea...

I'll use it in the future for files I have from an old machine.


Markus:

Yes, it appears that it is a scam / virus...thanx

My law firm got hacked.

AND I was expecting a document from my firm re: a case...sigh


Hopefully, Apple PAGES / LibreOffice suite helped minimize any damage.

THOUGHTS??


Note: I was planning to take a couple hours to erase my hard drive and reinstall all applications, email, and data soon...

guess I'll do it expeditiously.


Thanx...Mark

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User profile for user: ruggiero
ruggiero
User level: Level 1
140 points

Oct 14, 2021 2:00 AM in response to bart125

Opening such a document with Pages should not be an issue at all as Pages has no clue what a MSWord macro is and cannot execute anything. AFAIK LibreOffice also does not execute these macros, so one should be save with that too. No need to erase and re-install your Mac unless you are having (other) real problems(TM).


---markus---

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ENABLE EDITING for .doc in PAGES for Mac

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